World Cup players look forward to movie premiere

Category: The Game of Their Lives News | Posted by:adminArticle Date: March 24, 2005 | Publication: Waynesville Daily Guide | Author: press releasePublication/Article Link:
ST. LOUIS (AP)--A little of Hollywood's glow is expected to shine in this city when "The Game of Their Lives"-the movie that tells the true story of a 1950 World Cup upset-has its area premiere April 17.

The movie recounts the story of the U.S. soccer team, which included a group of five players in the starting lineup from the historically Italian neighborhood in St. Louis known as The Hill.

The scrappy underdog team didn't win the Cup, but pulled a startling victory over the English team when the two nations squared off in Brazil.

Locations in St. Louis provided backdrops for several scenes, from the Soldan High School athletic field to the Casa Loma Ballroom. And with more than 2,000 St. Louisans used as extras in the film, interest in the premiere is expected to be high, said Jerry Jones, director of the Missouri Film Commission.

As a result, the commission expects to offer some tickets for sale to the public in addition to invitations to the World Cup players and others who made the movie a reality, Jones said. The premiere is expected to run on two screens at the AMC Esquire 7 theater in Clayton, a suburb of St. Louis. A private after-party is being planned for a location on The Hill, said J. Kim Tucci, chair of the region's convention and visitors commission who is helping to plan the event.

"The Game of Their Lives" then will open in limited markets, including St. Louis, on April 22.